Emi
by Kalen Bloodstone
Summary: COMPLETE... One-shot: Emi, an outcasted Elf, ventures now, roaming lands better left unsubscribed. One fair morn, she's drawn to a Caverns opening. Read forward to unleash the magic... Rated: T, Writer of Artemis F./Inheritance Cycle/Kate Daniels fandoms
1. Emi: Part 1

**Emi**

**_~ Part one ~_**

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~ Structure, as in the world the Elf Emi lives in, is from my FanFic "Admiration of Redemption." A few years after the completion of the series. For more details of my FanFic's and Disclaimer, please visit my profile. ~

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I stood there, in the middle of the clearing, feeling enthralled to enter the cave which I'd newly found. I'm the Elven equivalent of a teenager; according to my old Village to the north; settled at the start of the reign of Draumr the Hljödhr and Beorn the Edoc'sil era.

My auburn hair, cowls my face in a pixi cut, with blonde streaks, and a white jerkin clothing my chest. Leather chaps, with diamond studs at intervals of which would be hard to aim between during a fight. I had, once again dawned my chain mail, which runs past my waist.

You see, I'm an Adventurer; I attack what I wish, travel where I wish, and do whatever I wish. Newly outcasted by my Village, my home, I had that night stolen the chain mail and the sword that's strapped to my side this very moment, and had fled into the night before being shunned even more.

I had brought with me meager rations, a warm riding cloak, a few changes of clothes, some spare fabric and thread as well as a needle; for patching, a hunting bow, of course a quiver filled with arrows, and a hunting knife. Both beautifully crafted, the bow was one of the sturdiest I'd ever sung out of a tree, and I take pride from the item. Then, to get experience for a Guild entry, I had crafted the knife, my very first, which had turned out a masterful blade; as was said by the Smithy, that was.

The knife could no longer be my main defense, and the bow only came in handy only once _I've_ sighted the enemy, and not the other way around.

I had fought over what type of weapon to steal, from my Aunts armory.

The maul? I knew I was strong enough to swing the thing, yet was I fast enough to regain my guard in time. The spear, as well as the bow, lost its helpfulness at range; and the mace just told me "this is what you use to crack armor, pick something else." And the halberd was never very trustful in my strong hands. I had decided on the sword, of amazing craftsmanship; it seemed as if it was made for me; I didn't care much for my Aunt, she could craft a new one as far as I was concerned. I can hear the Village voices calling after me even now, shouting my name, _ Emi_, as I rode away to meet some new path.

This morning, once I'd awoke, I stretched my soar muscles; I had felt as if I had run the most in the course of my entire life the night previous. I had been pushing myself slightly, but when I imagined a Groths wings beating, I had surged forward, with just _slightly_ more speed.

I eventually ended up at the base of an Elm tree, and exhausted, not caring, was swept into a deep slumber, snuggling into my warm cloak.

Then, when I was awake enough to notice my stomach was churning; and after searching my pack for my cooking stone, and after blasting the stone, flung strips of venison onto the stone. I'd recently tired of my Elven customs of vegetarianism and given into the hunger for meat; I'm not a forager by anyone's measures.

My heart surged once I heard the bubbling, and deciding the rest of my raw venison steaks would go bad soon, decided it best to salt the raw meat and preserve it now instead of risking a parasite. I silently praised my Mother, not my biological one, my nature Mother; the one who let my path mix with that of a human Hunter, who had taught me of the skill of meat preservation, and was kind enough to share with me some of his spices. Taking out my spices was the simplest part, it took a long time to salt meat, and it took me even more without a proper cooking range; or so I was told.

After cutting them into smaller strips, and seasoning them, and devouring the first batch of my meat, I again blasted the stone with an intense heat; and once again the process continued.

And it continued well into the day. And through all of this, I felt a tugging at my gut, which I had thought was a stomach issue; for running so far and then pumping it with protein I wasn't even used to getting from meat. Instead, it was the Cave opening, calling me, beckoning me to follow my destiny.

And here I stood, now at the least; an hour had passed since the end of my cooking, the smell of the meat still hung in the air; and a scorched smell accompanied it. I had blasted the stone once more; to clean off the smell as well as all other bacteria covering the stone, I didn't need a bear to suddenly appear to steal my food. I had noticed the Cave opening as I knelt down to fill my pack once more, in the noontime light.

I now knew what the tug at my gut was; fear. I was surprisingly scared, for running into a cave. This one felt stranger then the rest, I had heard the inhabitants in the other caverns; this one I could hear hardly anything but the sound of the wind washing against the stone walls. I knew I wanted to go in, but it just felt so strange; fear.

I had hardly felt it my entire life; of course there were the childhood horrors, but those seemed to demolish after the start of adolescence. I had felt it once, before I started my guild job; a smithy, and a darned good one at that. And once again on my first date- wait, no; that was more of hesitant feeling, or a nervous feeling, rather then fear.

Now, I wanted to prove myself; I'd show my Village who a Hero was, and loosening my sheath for an easier draw; entered the dark cavern.

The vision of a humans would've lasted them about ten feet, and then would've been engulfed in a unending oblivion; but that of an Elves served indefinitely, our almost supervision on these occasions, were helpful, consuming the slightest ray of light and transforming it into vision.

I waited, for a moment, for my vision to clear and not grow any fuzzier. After checking once more my chain mail and chaps, I walked; straight into a wall; alright, maybe I should wait just a little longer. And I did, and after regaining my pride and vision, I found myself within a single room; small for a cave, it ran ahead to my right.

Going forward, now at a cautious rate, I walked through the entrench to farther within the cave, to saw an empty basin beneath. My route hugged the side of the cavern, and halfway down stopped and descending to the main rock floor; it was my only option; it was that or leave now. I noticed a hole in the wall, at the far side of the cavern, and had just stepped once more when I smelled it.

A reek odor, a stench of death and rotted flesh mixed with the smell of pond scum, and somehow enhanced by magic, filled my nostrils. Then I saw it, an Ogre; fully grown; _A bull Ogre,_ _just my luck_, I thought.

The Ogre hadn't heard me, or detected me in some other way; and so, the only sensible thing, or at least to me, was to attack it. Inching downward, I started to make out details; which I'd rather not have seen.

Tall, eight feet easy; gray skinned, cracking in places, like a crater spreading, covered his back, torso, and legs. Unlike their children, an adult Ogre lost a tinge of blue every few years, this was an old beasty. His maw was stained, likely red, but I couldn't detect the color; I'd need more light to detect color, and magic if I wished to head deeper into the cave; my eyes were loosing light as it was. His ears, where inward, as in you didn't see them; you'd mistake them for small holes. His skin looked rather oily- slimy, actually, he was hunched forward and covered with green moss and mold; besides that, he was starkly naked. He made my skin crawl, and made me freeze when I saw something, my gaze fell upon a maul, a giant maul; with an impressive head; _Can't let him reach it, otherwise I'm done_._ Maybe it isn't primitive, if it trained itself to use the maul . . ._

He was facing the direction of the cavern's next entry way, which now seamed to glow slightly, now I saw a handful of bones; human bones, along with a handful of horse and elk carcasses, not to mention the dung heaps.

It was incessantly cold in the cave; I was surprised at the Ogre, with no source of heat, still lingered in the cave. Normally they were smart enough to know that blankets gave one heat, and normally took them from horses before sinking their jagged jaws into their flesh, that or when they searched through packs; which they were led by their small sense of smell.

Unsheathing my blade at the top of the cavern may have been helpful, but I hadn't thought of this; and so, when I drew my blade, to behead the creature, the hiss of cold steel against the sheath, however well oiled it was, gave away my position.

I was abruptly thrown back, and didn't even see it happen; I just was suddenly ten feet away, lying on my back.

The Ogre, was incredibly fast, and before I could predict, he came; maul in hand . . . Jumping up, thankful for all my years of training and nimbleness, but it wouldn't do me and good without my blade, which was flung a few feet behind me, dropped when I was flung backward.

Flinging myself to the sword, at the same moment the Ogre brought down a heavy swing where I'd been the moment previous. The hilt once again in my hand, no time for saying sorry for our brief separation, I weaved in and out of the Ogre's wild swings; cutting at his hide when the opportunity showed itself.

_This gives me an advantage,_ I thought, _just have to weave in and out and be fast,_ very_ fast._

I thought this right as the Ogre, mindlessly, back handed me in the chest, something my chain mail, not even a cuirass, was made to withstand; and the pain was something I'd never could've prepared myself to accept. My launch was halted by the force of a wall, and I faintly heard my bones crack; most likely a rib, and I barely registered the bone sticking out from my knee, which had sprouted and ripped the flesh from its brief encounter with the wall. I had less then a minute till I was dead, from either my injuries or the Ogre, and in a mad frenzy, my instinct patched into the feed.

"Waíse heill!" _be healed! _I yelled, and instantly my bone knitted itself together, the skin over it flowing together in a horrific scene; the ribs, were reset, and my bruises receded. "Reisa sverd! thrysta . . ." _raise sword! thrust, _my sword, commanded by the magic, raised and impaled itself into the Ogres heart, and non to soon.

The Ogres body, tumbled down, blood flowing from its lips, along with half a dozen cuts and the killing strike, the sword still impaled in his chest; as well as the erupting bowels. _That's something they don't tell you about in the Academy,_ _they piss when they die, _I thought, fleetingly.

Its body, landed on top of me, and a heavy force of 430 pounds rammed down on my form, crushing me beneath his body, all thoughts of the Academy eliminated from my mind. This, along with the slight headache from the magic, made me release a sharp breath, and with the remaining air which was depleting from my longs, I cried one more word; "Reisa," _raise_, and his body tumbled sideways.

Slipping out from under half of him was still a mighty feat, and half exhausted, from moving 430 pounds, adrenaline now abandoning my veins, leaved me feeling tired and drained. The maul he wielded was dropped where he stopped, about four and a half feet away. Realization hit me, almost as hard as the Ogres body; I had just been about to die, and saved myself.

No longer did I need a Village behind to back, I had just slain an Ogre, who had slain . . . three humans by the look of it. No longer did I need to prove myself; a burden had been lifted. No longer did I need to provide on others, I had proved that on my journey, however unorthodox my views. I could fend for myself, I could rule the world if I wished . . . Okay, maybe not rule the world, but all the rest was true.

Soaked, by . . . excrement, glad no one else was here to witness that small detail; but than again, it was a spoil of war, I just wished it smelled better and didn't feel so humiliating, I reached for my sword from the dead Ogre, wrenching it out.

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Continue to part two . . .


	2. Emi: Part 2

**Emi**

**_~ Part two ~_**

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And yet, I had no time; the faint sound of claws emanated from behind me, and I turned around, to be faced with Brylls. The score of the Mercenaries, magically fed Goblins came rushing at me, from just about nowhere, giving me no time to retrieve my sword. The cave was becoming dangerous. Though this trial would feel like a tutorial compared to the Ogre.

They probed my mind, and armed with spears advanced, to be met with adamant resistance and the utmost control. They could not fluster me, even unarmed, with their numbers and confuse me by probing her mind, I would prevail.

One thrust its spear to me, I sidestepped; and kicking him in the calf, sent him off balance; and directing his spear, I thrust it into the Bryll behind me; then grabbed his spear. Now armed, I thrust the spear into half a dozen bodies, all the while trying to break into the leaders mind, or at least the one I assumed took his position. I muttered half a dozen spells, while defending myself from spells; most of mine were deflected, but there was those few that gave me an advantage each time I hit.

Cutting two of the spear shafts, and probing the leader's mind once more, I noticed the circle they had incased me in; as they had been trying for the entire fight. This finding distracted me, and a spear passed through my hip, though it was on an angle and was not a fatal wound; if not for the amount of blood running down my leg, I'd have left it, but it was a dangerous wound. I quickly lunged my spear into one of the Brylls, then, before the Bryll on his right could close the circle and cover the spot, I shoved forward, my spear aimed like a lance, piercing his skin all the way through, and dragging him a few feet. I deflected a spell, and healed my side, all in the course of a few seconds. Now, out of the circle once more, I stayed to the side of the cavern, keeping my agility for another time and keeping up with the brutality that I currently felt. Once again, I smelled blood, the iron mixed with death; but this time, knew it was me. Not me, me, but my doings; not the Ogres.

I currently was slaying an army, the only advantage being my superior skills and vision, along with swiftness; they couldn't keep up with my movements; and in a clash of sparks, another slipped to the floor; its link severed to the main leader, who wielded a battleaxe instead of the spear. He was guarded by about four of the Brylls, otherwise I would've slain him by now.

In a last mental attack on his mind, I ran across to entrench through which they had come from, went about ten feet, and unleashed my best onto his mind; now able to spend full concentration. His mind cracked, his barrier gone; all of his memories gone. A sharp pain hit me, I ignored it; it would be gone any second now . . .

I spoke one of the death words, of the three my Father had gifted me with; and the virus spread through the remaining seven Brylls and their Commander.

I walked back into the cave, to hear yet more claw scratches against the cavern floor. Facing the opening, adrenaline filled once again, not caring the outcome, no longer thinking rationally, I strode to the next cave, after muttering the fire word; engulfed by fire, my hands were.

A blazed pair of shining eyes looked out at me,_ another one!_ My mind spoke to me with glee, high on endorphins as well as strength and power.

"Come and meet me, Coward!" I shouted, and heard a low growl. It couldn't have understood me, but it responded to my tone of voice; challenging.

Like a blue flame, the eyes came to meet me; in a show of strength; blue flame washed above my head. I had one last thought before I was thrown back, for the third time; _HELL!_

The Dragons, mostly slain from the era of the Prince Tãlan's upraise, still lingered in few numbers, spread out and no longer colonies as they once were. And I was lucky enough to meet one. Hurray!

So, as I was saying, after that thought, I was flung back, pounced upon. It seamed a hatchling; the only thing going for me in the battle. I couldn't understand why I was alive, the talons seemed to rip into my skin, and yet I was still alive; pained from the fall but overall intact. Their was no logical explanation that I was still alive, I had not called upon any element or sphere or any type of animal to help; in all seriousness, I should've been dead; instead, I was facing a red Dragon, with its steaming breath on my face, reminding me of my forge. Spikes covered its jaw line, ravenous rows a teeth, an impressive back, filled with spikes and shimmering scales; and the under armor was the closest I could get to see the wings.

So, lying on my back, once again. Pinned down, no sword in hand and too much breath struck from my lungs, and not the skill to spellcast without words, I exasperated looked around for any weapon which could help me. Struggling the foot to my left was painful; despite the supernatural protection which I'd gained, I took in my right hand a spear, and in my left the Ogre's maul. I sent the spear shaft deep into the under armor, which shattered; and the maul, straight to the Dragons head.

I heard the squeal, and felt the boiling liquid against my cold skin; a moment forever to be remembered. Stranding, hefting the maul, now two handed, I saw the damage to the Dragon.

Its veined head, was bleeding, an eye seemed as if it had popped, and the snout looked bashed in; along with the shaft of the spear sticking out. I had placed the blow well, in my moment of confusion on the floor. I actually felt sorry, this time at least.

The others were justified kills, a terrorizing Ogre, a band of Brylls which popped from nowhere; but a Dragon? The creature was so strong, so beautiful; I hated killing it.

Wait, did I really have to kill it. It wasn't attacking me now, lying in the corner wounded that way. It was cornered, and if provoked, it may attack once more, but it seemed content to stand on alert and not advance. An idea spread through my mind; no way? Could it work, no way in hell.

"Fricai onr eka eddyr?" _I am your friend._ The words were spoken with truth, no way could I lie to it; and I truly wanted to leave the magnificent creature alone to do as it wished. Inching forward, I spoke another sentence, though not as dignified and spoken in the Ancient Language.

"May I heal you?" I wanted to redeem myself, and had been foolish with the whole event, maybe it was even the reason I was outcasted; for my rashness. But now was a time I could help the animal. The red scales where shaded from blood red to rose, all the shades where here, even if dominated by the darker hues. It did not seem to want harm me, its tail only flickered right to left, in a show of impatience.

I stepped the last step, clearing the distance between myself and the Dragon, not caring if it pounced up to meet me and chomp at my head; it had full right. I had inched in on its territory; slowly lowering myself to the floor to slide the shaft of the spear out of its side.

"Waíse heill!" _be healed!_ And the magic spread; repairing the eye tissue which had leaked out, as well as restoring the blood to the veins and mending the broken skin at the snout, and then the side welded itself together. It all flowed together as if it was a tapestry being threaded together; a bit disgusting. I hadn't seen my own body when it healed, but I could see the Dragons for certain.

"Ach neo eitha." _do not go. _I wanted to see what was in the cave, it had been guarded by an Ogre and a Dragon, both of those could be coincidental, but a Bryll, their mercs with no reason to be in a cave unless ordered; something must be in the cave. And I, Emi, would find it, I'm sure of it.

This was not a time of being empowered, after my last brush with death, I'd be prepared. I wanted a meal, I was sure of that; my stomach ached and my energy was low. I'd bring the sword along with me, but I'd wield the maul as a main weapon; it had proven its usefulness.

Going about these tasks, taking the already cooked venison out of my pack, and the wine leather-skin; and then getting my back sheath, and after eating, bringing the rest of my supply of venison strips; a petty offering to the mighty Dragon.

"Bjart!" _bright!_ A steady green flame licked at me fingertips, a slow flame that did not harm me; perfect. I slipped my sword out of the Ogres body, and wiped it on a Brylls shirt, then sheathed it into my back sheath.

Heading forward, both hands clenched around the mauls handle, grasping at the leather bound around which served as a grip. I didn't know what to expect; would it be some secret race, or a treasury, or maybe even a Shades lair; that would be horrifying.

_And I bet I'm lucky enough too,_ I thought to myself,_ maybe it'll even give me a reward for killing all of their guards_, not likely.

I saw nothing for the longest time, trying to remember the passages I passed through, only finding rats was a nice treat, after what I had just encountered at the beginning of the cave. It was a bit random that the three worst creatures in the cave came to meet me at the beginning, and now all I had to do was find something.

My magical light burned out, and mist shrouded me; a feeling of fear settled upon me. A thorn buried itself into my mind; a deep pain, something I had never experienced before in a real situation. Someone was invading my mind, and it actually meant life or death.

In a flash, my barriers were fortified, my own mindful dagger at the ready. It came once more; a quick prickling sensation that was a tease, just to get me infuriated; it worked. They, whoever they were, were toying with me. And with one last thorn prickle, it broke through, and sudden agony suddenly filled my mind for a brief moment, before being replaced with an inquisitive mind.

Female as well, Emi could tell from the consciousness; strange, now a sense of pleasure from my realization; she established contact.

"Why are you here?" it asked, voice sounding like she was at the bottom of the sea.

"I've come to- well I'm not altogether sure, mainly to find the reason of the heavily guarded cave. Have I found it?"

"Silly Elf." Was all it said; her consciousness still present.

I waited, a moment longer, before I questioned further; I expected they she would lead the conversation.

"Who are; have I found it?" I asked once more, my tone hesitant even with my mind. In a few splashes of pain, it scrambled through my memories of the cave, and through the week before. If she had gone three more days, she'd found the reason of my little Adventuring.

The lady chuckled, an odd sound within ones mind; but she managed to pull it off.

"Do you understand your feat, young child . . ." but before I could answer with confusion, the lady went on. "You've slain an Ogre; that in itself was good enough, but then came the Brylls. Did you perhaps count them, their numbers?" knowing she hadn't from passing through her mind, the lady once again continued. "Thirty-five, thirty-five Brylls, an army, a very large skirmishing party if you will, as it seems you do not know how to construct the definition of 'army' within your mind. And then you topped it all by mortally wounding a Dragon, and then healing it. All of this, without passing out; for no reason whatsoever. I ask again, 'I'm not altogether sure' was your last answer, what is your new one?"

Startled with myself, I bit my lip; I truly didn't know why. I wanted to prove myself, but that was the drive, not the reason. Why was I so drawn to the cave? I'm a Hero, by my Ancestors standards; I'm a savior, by the Humans standards; but to myself? What was I to myself?

This actually scared me; I didn't know what I was to myself; so why had I done it if it gave me no gratification or feeling whatsoever.

"For power?" offered the lady.

"What power?" I asked, near hysterics. "Really, what power? The power of not being accepted by my own Village, I'm an outcast for all things unholy!" This was emotionally wrecking me and I didn't care. What power could I inherit from all of this?

"Perhaps the power of a Shade? My answer to you question is yes; you've found the treasure. Surly you knew of me once you'd entered the cave, my call for an apprentice worthy enough has been sent to every Town, Vill- Ahh, I see now. You know you're the fourth to enter?"

"I saw the bodies, thanks. Currently I bet another's behind me, am I right?"

"You are. Do you want to be a Shade or not, I hope you do, it cost me a fortune getting everything ready, so think quickly now, or I myself will have to meet the Adventurer and defeat him."

"Yes." If I wasn't accepted by my people, I might as well be feared by them; for an actual reason, not the horseshit they spoke of.

"Good, good." The lady spoke. "Just defeat the Adventurer for me, and I'll meet you at the opening of the cave."

"You mean you not in here?"

"Why of course not, I'm not stupid enough to trap myself within cave, which publicizes that a Shades within. People cheat sometimes; I wouldn't give them the gratitude of cornering me. By the way, the adventurer is actually two adventures. And about ten more are about an hour aways, so you might want to step on it . . ."

I wanted to spew a few words at the lady, my new mentor, who I had only met within my mind; but she quickly disintegrated our mental link; coward. Frustrated, I walked on, to meet the people I needed to kill. Then I remembered the Dragon. How could they have gotten past it? They couldn't have, no way. Something must've happened differently for them.

Running now, actually running, making about as much noise as a drunken bear, I emerged into the main cave within ten minutes, and quickly assessed the damage.

Two man, both clad in extravagant, expensive looking shiny armor. A cuirass was clad on one, and chain mail was on another, plate legs, their helmets, along with wrist guards and gauntlets, then of course their iron boots. One was armed with a battleaxe, a crossbow was slung across his shoulder and a dagger was sheathed at his belt. The other, wielded a spear, his shield strapped to his back, a dagger and a sword strapped to his belt; so one, a random Hero and the other, a Palace Guard . . . fun.

The way they evaded the Dragon spoke volumes; mainly being they were quick and agile, the other being they had training. A few splashes of blood ran down its hide, and the Adventurers held lights which gave away their position.

They were attacking my dragon, I had only one course of action assigned to me, and now it seemed to triple as they hacked, or tried to, at my Dragon.

I wasn't seen yet, but I soon would be; an Elven Warrior, clad in chain mail and leather chaps, boy would they be surprised at their challenge; and being humans, they'd probably undermine my ability only because I was a woman.

I was having a trouble picking which warrior I wanted to attack, when the choice was handed to me.

The big, battleaxe, crazed man spotted me, and hefting his battleaxe, advanced.

I shifted my stance, last minute, which faulted the blow he had aimed, and gave me the upper hand. I swung my maul, lunging the while, and brushed his chest with the head; the sound of crunching mettle rang through the cave, and the other man noticed me.

To finish the human, quickly, I entered his mind and spoke the death word, and noticing the other man wasn't protecting his mind either, I did the same to him. Thinking back, that's how I could've slain the Ogre.

"Tauthr." _Follow,_ I said to the Dragon, and together we left.

Me, my future was to be a Shade, and to get vengeance upon my Village, and the Dragon, his is to follow me forever around the world, were ever I go, he'll go. Or at least that's what I hoped. I would find out, and so would the Dragon. . .

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Sorry if any of you saw the goof, saying this was canceled. It was a mix up in files I had uploaded. If you do not review- I'll- I'll- I'll, oh I don't remember, I took to long with the I'lls.

This was a dream I had, then tweaked and added background. My sister actually helped me a little, something she hasn't done in awhile. Good Reading!

~ Kalen Bloodstone ~


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